Overall, the four Tech 2 Tactical Missile Launchers are roughly equivalent in terms of strategic value and purpose to one's own side. The launchers have slight variations in cost, but their stats are strictly equal. The actual missile stats are strictly equal across all four factions in damage, cost and flight speed.

The only notable difference comes from the Cybran and Aeon launchers. The Cybran TML-4 is superior to the other launchers in several ways: While other factions have a muzzle charge delay of 1.5 seconds before firing their missiles, the TML-4 fires its missile in about only 0.5, making it much more accurate against mobile targets. Furthermore, the TML-4, equipped with 4 muzzles, can fire its missiles at a substantially greater rate of fire. Finally, like all Cybran Loa Tactical Missile, when the missile comes under fire, instead of being destroyed, it breaks up into several smaller missiles. You get an overall lower damage, 833 per sub-missile for a total of 2499 instead of 6000, when this happens, and the smaller missiles can be shot down by other well-placed TMDs. This makes the TML-4 hands down the best of the four Tactical Missile Launchers, as it and its missiles are no more expensive than the other options.

The other difference is the Aeon's Serpentine, whose missile swerves throughout its path to the target. If multiple missiles were launched at a certain location they would spread out, making a carpet bomb type effect, covering a much wider area than other TMLs which pinpoint a specific target location.

Except under extreme circumstances, such as rush games where you and your opponent are sending hundreds of T1 units at each other, you should not be without at least one tactical missile launcher. Remember to take into consideration that it's difficult, and expensive, for your opponent to place two tactical missile defenses at every single location (a single TMD is unable to shoot down a TML-launched missile in one shot, and will not have time to reload before the missile hits the target, unless the target is on the far side of the TMD from the TML). So if you're able to destroy mass extractors, power generators, factories, defense, etc. that are normally out of range, you have an advantage. Even if what you destroy costs less than the missile, it won't take long for your opponent's loss to make up for the cost of your missile.

Sometimes, depending on your opponent and his strategy, it might be a smart idea to build several tactical missile launchers. Launching several at the same time helps in overwhelming shields or tactical missile defenses, as long as you simultaneously launch at least one more missile than the total number of missile defenses that the missiles fall into range of. If you know of an area containing several tech 2, tech 3 units or especially experimental units, you can destroy them without wasting any of your units and resources by simply launching a few missiles at them. If you lose an experimental unit on your opponent's side, you can take out the wreckage with tactical missiles to prevent him from getting free mass, but note that you need one missile for every 6000 standard HP the experimental has to completely destroy the wreckage. Finally, tactical missiles can take out a lone ACU if the ACU is not moving around or well-guarded. Just be aware that a missile costs 6 mass per second and 120 energy per second to build, so make sure that your economy is in top shape before attempting to build several launchers.

It is worth noting here that both the UEF and Seraphim ACUs have personal Tactical Missile Launchers. It costs substantially more energy to build, but once built, these "tactical missile launchers" can do more for you than a regular tactical missile launcher can. For one thing, they build substantially faster with higher-tech engineering suite upgrades, allowing you to deploy them quicker. They also have a smaller minimum range, which in games has proved to be quite a blessing (example: finishing off an enemy commander quickly in a one-on-one ACU battle). Any target out of range can easily fall into range simply by moving the commander. Finally, the Seraphim Tactical Missile launcher has a larger damage radius than any standard tactical missile launcher, while the UEF one can be upgraded to an improved hybrid strategic/tactical launcher provided proper resources are available.

TMLs are very useful as counter-battery weapon against mobile heavy artillery of UEF, Cybran and Seraphim as they must stop and deploy to fire. A single TML can cover a big radius against mobile heavy artillery.